On June 4 at 2:22 p.m., police were called about a funeral procession traveling westbound on Roosevelt Road. A vehicle was observed driving in both lanes of traffic and had passengers hanging out of the car windows. The owner of the vehicle was issued a local ordinance citation for reckless driving, which was sent via certified mail.
The registered owners of 21 vehicles in a rowdy funeral procession at 900 Desplaines Ave. on June 9 around 3:10 p.m. were sent citations. According to the police report, units had been alerted that the funeral procession was heading into Forest Park, and they positioned themselves along Roosevelt Road. Many cars in the large procession were driving into oncoming traffic head on, unnecessarily blocking traffic by cutting off other cars and taking up multiple lanes, and had people sitting on windowsills and hanging out of car windows, “yelling and throwing their arms in the air,” according to the police report.
Those receiving tickets have a court date on July 14 at 5 p.m. in the lower level of village hall.
Woman believes man pointed gun at her
A woman leaving work on the 7800 block of Industrial Drive on June 8 at 5:15 p.m. called police after she observed a small black pickup truck with red stripes reverse toward her at a high rate of speed as she was walking to her vehicle. She said the driver, a male wearing a black ski mask, yelled at her and pointed an object at her. She believes the object was a gun, but she couldn’t describe it because she told police she was too scared to look back at it a second time. When another employee exited the building, the suspect quickly drove away, according to the woman. She was very upset, and police told her if she feels unsafe again, she can call the department to request an escort to her vehicle.
Fire department forces entry to get to injured man
Police were called to the 7700 block of Harvard Street on June 8 at 3:58 a.m. to assist the fire department at an apartment where a man had fallen and possibly broken his foot. The fire department was able to gain access to the apartment using a deadbolt spreader. They temporarily re-secured the door, and the man was transported to the hospital.
Woman steals hundreds of dollars of memory supplements
A man at Walmart, 1300 Desplaines Ave., put $399 of bottled Prevagen pills into his girlfriend’s purse while they walked through the store on June 8 at 2:52 p.m. She then exited past the last point of purchase without paying for them. She was taken to the loss prevention office, then placed into custody by police who issued her a local ordinance citation for retail theft. She has a July 14 court date.
Thief, employee fight over liquor and candy
An employee of CVS, 7216 Circle Ave., was hit by an alleged thief on June 8 at 8:13 p.m. The suspect had entered the store carrying a backpack and went into the alcohol section, briefly out of view of the employee, who heard what he thought was the sound of alcohol bottles being concealed in the backpack.
The employee said he approached the alleged thief, told him he’d seen him stealing alcohol, and grabbed the backpack. The suspect allegedly smacked the employee’s arm with such force that it caused the backpack strap to break. The suspect fell to the floor, then got up and headed toward the exit. On his way out, though, the suspect allegedly grabbed a box of Reese’s candy bars.
The employee approached the suspect again, this time smacking the Reese’s box out of the suspect’s hands, causing the candy bars to scatter over the floor. The employee allegedly bent down to begin picking up the candy bars when the suspect hit him in the back of the head with his backpack before exiting the store. He was last seen walking southbound on Harlem Avenue and was not located by the police.
Garage fire most likely caused by cigarettes, cigars
Forest Park police and fire units were called to the 600 block of Harlem Avenue on June 7 around 8:46 a.m. for a fire on the side of a garage. Upon arrival, an officer discovered smoke coming from the side of a detached garage. It appeared to be coming from the mulch and looked like heat from a fire had melted the siding near the ground. The property is under construction, according to the police report, and currently vacant. The fire department forced entry since no doors were unlocked and put out the fire inside.
The man who’d called in the fire lives next door. He said he saw small flames in the morning and put them out with water from bottles in his car. Later, he saw bigger flames “climbing the outside of the north wall of the garage.” He poured a bucket of water on the fire and called 9-1-1. He related there had been a party the night before, and some of the attendees had been smoking.
Firefighters “discovered numerous smoking materials,” such as cigarettes and cigars, and believe they were the likely cause of the fire, which they think was accidental.
Man urinates in front of Christian bookstore
A man in full view with his penis exposed was caught urinating in front of the Christian Book Store at 7610 Roosevelt Rd. on June 4 at 11:42 a.m. Even when police approached with emergency lights on, he continued to urinate, according to the police report. He also smelled like liquor. He refused to comply with verbal direction, so he was handcuffed. He was issued a local ordinance citation for public urination and has a July 14 court date. He was released from the scene.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, June 4-9, and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Unless otherwise indicated, anybody named in these reports has only been charged with a crime. These cases have not been adjudicated.
Compiled by Maria Maxham